Cheating
by Kelly of the midnight dawn
Summary: He couldn’t bring himself to look at her because even though he had slept with his wife, it felt like he was cheating on Olivia. EO
1. Chapter 1: Guilt

**Cheating**

**Chapter 1: Guilt**

**Disclaimer: I want them so much so I can kill Kathy and Elliot and Olivia will have a happy ending.**

**A/N: EVERYONE CALM DOWN! I KNOW, I KNOW, I WANT TO KILL DICK WOLF TOO AND BASH ELLIOT OVER THE HEAD WITH THE GUITAR IN MY CLOSET THAT I NEVER USE BUT IT WON'T DO US ANY GOOD! SO EVERYONE JUST TAKE SOME DEEP, CALMING BREATHS! There, that's… NOT BETTER! Okay, let's just all focus our energy into collecting the ski masks and pitch forks and flaming bags of poop from various mammals. We will take over this show yet, even if we have to do it by force. Then Chris and Mariska will have to act out a sex scene every five minutes and Dick Wolf will have to bring us coffee and doughnuts.**

**So, this story is to try and explain just WHAT THE HELL Elliot was thinking. It will be EO of course with the appropriate amount of angst and drama.**

He walked out of the building as fast as he could, not pausing for even a second because he knew she would be on his heals. He had never been good at hiding his emotions; they were always bubbling just beneath the surface and this morning when he saw her, when he heard her voice, asking if he was okay, he could barely stand it.

Sex with Kathy had never been the way it had been last night. They were two bodies, starved for human contact, desperate to receive it no matter the source. Being caught by Kathleen on the way out was the final nail in the coffin and he felt ashamed.

There were no innocent parties in that bed. Each had been using the other, perhaps trying to rekindle something that they hadn't realized was long dead and incapable of rising from the grave. It wasn't fair to Kathy to be balancing on the razor's edge that he seemed to have settled upon, keeping his distance yet keeping a closeness that was suffocating both of them.

He sank into his car, unsure of where he should go. He needed to go get some sleep. His apartment was the obvious choice. He reached for the keys when a voice from outside made him stop.

"Just had to outdo me didn't you," it was that voice. He couldn't bring himself to look at her because even though he had slept with his wife, it felt like he was cheating on Olivia.

He rolled down his window and leaned against it, still not looking at her "What do you mean?" he asked.

Olivia smiled softly. Cragen had told her about what had happened in the interrogation room. The memory of her stomping Michael Thatcher nearly to death still floated around them and he had just had to show her up by being even more insane than her on her worst day. "I wish I'd had the presence of mind to barricade myself inside when I was in there with Thatcher," she chuckled softly, trying to make light of her own troubles.

"Yeah," Elliot shrugged "Well, I wish I would have had the presence of mind to actually kill the bastard."

Olivia leaned inside the window "Hey," she said softly "He really got to you didn't he," she could tell that it was bothering him.

She was so close that he could smell her perfume. It was a subtle sent but it carried with it such warm thoughts that he closed his eyes and was almost at peace. But then he remembered his shame and he opened his eyes once more, gazing out the windshield and not at his partner who stood watching him worriedly. "It was a long night," he said simply.

"Wanna talk about it?" she offered.

It was at this point, Elliot did turn to look at her. He saw the look in her eyes. He didn't deserve her compassion, her understanding, her friendship. He turned away again "Not right now," he mumbled before starting the engine.

Olivia took a step back from the car as Elliot pulled away from the curb "Okay," she gave him a small wave and a warm smile that he caught a glimpse of out of the corner of his eye. "When you're ready to talk about it, you know where to find me."

"Yeah," he nodded, rolling up the window. Her smile only deepened his guilt. Still, he couldn't help taking one last look at her before he drove away.


	2. Chapter 2: Decision

**Cheating**

**Chapter 2: Decision**

**A/N: Wow, I love you guys. Here's the second chapter. The title will probably not make much sense as the story progresses but I'm too lazy to change it let alone think of a better one. Keep those wonderful reviews coming because I love reading about how all of you guys yelled at the TV too. It helps make me feel a little less insane.**

Olivia walked back into the squad room, still very worried about Elliot. She decided she would check on him after work. He had had a long night and needed his rest. She would drop by his place, maybe she would bring him spaghetti from that place he liked.

She was snapped from her thoughts when Cragen called her over to where he and Casey were standing. "What's up?" she asked, not liking the looks on their faces.

"Royce is refusing to be taken to lock up," Cragen said in a tone saturated with frustration.

"Oh really," Olivia couldn't help the small smirk that crossed her lips "How did he manage that?"

"He's clinging to the table and throwing a hissy fit like a fussy preschooler," Casey sighed.

Olivia almost laughed as she stepped past them and to the door of the interrogation room "We'll see what we can do about that."

"I didn't do anything," Royce was trying to sound pathetic but he only sounded angry. An evening of telling one lie after another until the truth was twisted free had left him unable to pretend to be the grieving father he needed to be to stay out of jail.

"That's not what you told my partner," Olivia said, taking a seat across from him. "That's not what the evidence says," she leaned across the table "So why don't you be a big boy and let go of the table so you can go to jail."

Royce looked up and smiled, ceasing his futile tirade as he did so "He wanted me to kill him you know."

Olivia had been completely filled in by Cragen about everything that had happened after Elliot blocked the door so Royce's attempt at shaking her didn't work "Because he knew you'd never do it," she told him "You're too much of a coward. You couldn't kill someone unless they were unconscious or had their back to you."

Royce leaned back in his chair and looked at her. He was about to say something when Munch and Fin entered, pulling him to his feet before he could begin throwing another tantrum.

"Have fun in hell," Olivia whispered to Royce as he was pulled from the room. Olivia left the interrogation room soon after that. She headed to her desk to wrap up some paperwork. As she began filling out the files she wondered if she should bring Elliot his share when she went to see him. She smirked, sorting through the files and setting a few choice ones aside for her partner.

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Malcolm Royce sat in his cell awaiting his arraignment. His temporary cell mate whistled the most annoying rendition of 'Polly Wolly Doodle' that he had ever heard. After only a few minutes, he couldn't take it "Would you stop that already!" he snapped.

The other man looked up and grinned "No," he said simply and went back to whistling.

"God damn it," Royce mumbled and he began to rub his shoe against the cement floor.

"Okay," the other man said, standing up "That's just annoying."

Royce looked over at the other man, pleased that he finally had some leverage "So," he started rubbing both feet against the floor.

The other man came over and smacked Royce in the face "Knock it off."

Royce's feet stopped moving immediately. He watched as the other man retreated to his side of the cell "So, aside from being in prison," Royce began inquisitively "What's got you in such a bad mood?"

"None of your business," the man said angrily.

"Oh come on roomy," Royce didn't know why but this man seemed interesting to him "What's your story?"

"What's yours?" the man countered.

"My girlfriend and my family were all murdered," Royce answered nonchalantly.

The other man laughed "And I suppose you had nothing to do with it."

"Oh," Royce said "No, I killed all of them but I wish I hadn't."

"It's not wise to admit to anything in here," the man told him.

"It doesn't matter," Royce shrugged "I'm fucked anyway."

"Heh," the other man laughed again "Did they beat the confession out of you?"

"Nah," Royce slumped his shoulders "But the cop did try to kill me after they had me dead to rights."

"Really?" the other man sat down and leaned forward in interest "Was she an annoying bitch with long brown hair?"

"No," Royce laughed "If I got beat up by a woman, I'd kill myself."

"You'd be surprised," the other man muttered.

Royce looked at him for a long time "Did a woman cop beat you up?" he asked.

The other man stood up and crossed the space between them. He grabbed Royce by the throat "Before I answer that," he hissed "Just remember that I could kill you right now."

Royce nodded and the other man let him go "You were weren't you," he said softly, trying not to laugh.

"If I hadn't been cuffed," the other man mumbled as he sank back into a sitting position "I would have showed her a thing or two."

"In the middle of a police station?" Royce asked "You're insane."

"She was insane," the other man defended "She was fucking insane."

The guard came and opened the cell door "Let's go Royce," he said with the air of someone whose soul had been crushed by too many long days doing the same monotonous thing.

Royce allowed the guard to lead him from the cell. He turned back to his new friend "Wish me luck," he called "Maybe I'll see you again soon."

"I wouldn't count on it," Michael Thatcher said under his breath as he waved to the retreating man. He wasn't counting on staying in prison for very long. Besides, he had a score to settle with a certain cop.

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Elliot heard the knocking on his door and rolled out of bed, hitting the floor. He looked at the clock on the table by his bed. It was 7:30. He hadn't meant to sleep so long but he had been so tired and so restless. He had finally gotten to sleep around one in the afternoon and stayed that way until the knocking awoke him. His sleep, thankfully, had been a dreamless one.

He clambered to his feet and stumbled the few feet to the door. He opened it without looking through the peephole; he had a good idea who it was. He opened the door and saw Olivia, standing there with a large paper bag in one hand. "Hi," she smiled softly.

Elliot returned her smile. He couldn't avoid her forever and he couldn't push her away again. He'd been down that road before and he didn't want to go there again. He stepped away from the door and allowed her to come in "It's good to see you," he murmured, closing the door and turning to face her.

Olivia set the bag on the floor and sat down beside it. She took out a container of food and handed it to him "Hungry?" she asked, knowing that he must have been.

He nodded and accepted the food gratefully; it had been almost twenty four hours since he had last eaten and he was starving in spite of the guilt and anger still gnawing at him.

Olivia reached into the bag again and pulled out the files that she had set aside especially for him. "Don't forget these," she smirked.

Elliot took the files and laughed "Gee thanks Liv. You know how much I enjoy doing paperwork."

"Of course," her smile grew wider. Elliot seemed like his old self or at least pretty damn close and that made Olivia feel much better. She had been worried about him from the moment they met Malcolm Royce and his family.

The two began to eat their dinner. Elliot looked up occasionally at his partner. She was so amazing and she didn't even know it. She knew him so well. He closed his eyes, sliding closer to her on the floor "Did I miss anything interesting today?" he asked.

Olivia swallowed the bite of chicken parmesan that she was she had been chewing "Not really," she responded "It was a slow day," she stuck the plastic fork deep into her container of food, spearing a piece of chicken with deadly accuracy. She twisted the fork slowly and watched the strands of pasta become tangled. "Oh," she said, almost absentmindedly "We did have a hard time getting Royce out of the interrogation room," she laughed. But at the mention of Royce, tension seemed to return, not as powerful as earlier that morning but enough to make them both uncomfortable.

Elliot cleared his throat and was about to speak but the words wouldn't come.

Olivia was the one who finally broke the awkward silence with a topic that wasn't much less awkward for her to talk about and unbeknownst to her, far more awkward for Elliot. "Have you set a date for moving back in with Kathy?"

Elliot cleared his throat again. This topic had been why he didn't get to sleep until one in the afternoon. He had finally made his decision, about moving back home at least. He would call Kathy in the morning and tell her "I don't think it's gonna work out for us. The marriage is dead."

"Oh," Olivia whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Elliot, I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Elliot told her quickly. "It hurts but I'm actually okay with it. Kathy deserves someone who will be there for her."

"You deserve someone too El," Olivia told him. Before she knew what she was doing, she had kissed him. She pulled away quickly and sprang to her feet, her half carton of food, falling to the floor, forgotten. "I'm so sorry," she said hurriedly, runnig for the door and disappearing through it before Elliot could say anything.

He just sat there on the floor of his one room apartment, speechless. She had kissed him and he had just sat there, like an idiot and let her leave without even kissing her back. It took him about thirty seconds before he could move but just as he was about to get up and follow her, his cell phone rang.

"Stabler," he answered.

"Elliot," it was Cragen "Are you okay?"

Elliot could hear the concern in his captain's voice but there was something else, something was going on and Cragen was anxious to get to it. But what ever it was, apparently wasn't severe enough to forgo pleasantries. "I'm fine Cap," Elliot responded "What's up?"

"Michael Thatcher escaped from lock up," Cragen told him "I'm gonna need you and Olivia out there to help find him."

"Got it. We'll be there as soon as we can," Elliot said quickly. He hung up the phone and ran out the door, hoping he could catch up to Olivia. He found her sitting on the front stoop of his building. Her head was in her hands and her shoulders were shaking slightly.

He dropped down beside her and laid a hand on her shoulder "Hey," he said soothingly.

She looked up, wiping furiously at red, puffy eyes "Elliot, I…" she began.

"We'll talk later," he told her quickly, standing up again "Duty calls, Thatcher escaped."

"You're kidding me," Olivia groaned back in cop mode again as she stood up.

"I wish," Elliot shrugged "Cragen wants us to help look for him."

"All right," Olivia followed Elliot to his car. She placed a hand on his arm "Are we…" she started timidly "I mean, you aren't…" she choked on the words, afraid of the tears that would come once she spoke them "Please don't hate me for what I did. It was a stupid mistake."

Elliot stopped walking and turned to her. Part of him wanted to kiss her right then and there but she had referred to it as a stupid mistake and he didn't want to make any more mistakes while they were working together in the field. He placed his hands on her shoulders "I could never hate you Olivia. Now let's go get this bastard."

**A/N: I don't know how things go in lock up or pretrial confinement but let's just pretend they work the way I said. Don't forget to review.**


	3. Chapter 3: Taken

**Cheating**

**Chapter 3: Taken**

Three hours of dead ends had led them to a storage facility in Midtown. It had taken a while but they had finally gotten the locations of three storage spaces throughout the city that Thatcher had been renting. None of the leases had lapsed in the time since his arrest. Elliot and Olivia had the pleasure of searching the Midtown one.

Before they even entered the building, they saw a shadowy figure skulking around the perimeter. Elliot was the first to draw his gun "Police! Put your hands where I can see them!" he commanded. The man tore off down the alley and Elliot and Olivia started running after him.

"I'll go around the other way," Olivia told Elliot as she broke away to try and catch the guy at the other side of the alley as Elliot continued to chase him.

"Okay," Elliot said as he pushed himself to run faster.

Olivia ran around the other side of the building. Suddenly something tripped her and she fell. Cursing she got to her feet again and was about to resume running when she was grabbed from behind and thrown against the wall of the building. She felt the blade of a knife digging into her throat and a low voice hissed in her ear "You're right, I do prefer my women at knife point."

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Elliot chased the guy out the other end of the alley. For a moment, he wondered why Olivia wasn't there already but he couldn't stop to think about that for very long. He jumped and tackled the suspect to the ground. He was about to read the man, who he assumed was Thatcher, his rights when the man began to beg in a truly piteous tone.

"Look man," the guy began "I'm sorry, all right, I'll give the lady back her purse."

Elliot shone his flashlight on the man's face. He got off the pathetic, petty thug and pulled him to his feet. He reached for his radio. "It's not him Liv," he waited for a response but there was none "Liv?" he repeated, worry beginning to seep into his voice "Olivia?"

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"Detective Benson, Please respond," Thatcher heard Elliot's frantic call over the radio as he carried it, along with Olivia's cell phone, badge and gun to the dumpster.

"Sorry, Detective Stabler," he murmured to himself as he tossed the items in one by one "Your partners a little tied up right now." He headed back to the van that he had "borrowed" from the storage facility. He opened the back end and climbed in.

Olivia sat there, bound, gagged and already badly beaten. Thatcher ripped the gag from her mouth "You humiliated me bitch," he hissed "Now you're gonna pay."

Olivia spat in his face "You really are a moron aren't you?" she said angrily, though her words carried little threat in her weakened state "Kidnapping a cop. Not your smartest move Miky. Not that you've ever made a smart move in your life."

Thatcher simply laughed, picking up the two by four that lay near by and striking her in the stomach forcefully with it. He smiled when he heard her sharp intake of breath. He simply dropped the tow by four and climbed out of the back of the van, slamming the door shut. He hopped in the driver's seat and sped away.

Michael Thatcher wasn't as much of a fool as the cops enjoyed making him out to be. He knew he was taking a big risk kidnapping a cop but the way he saw it, he was going to jail anyway. She had humiliated him and he was going to make her suffer. His window was limited. He would need to find a secluded place and finish her off quickly.

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Two uniforms who were patrolling the area had taken the mugger off of Elliot's hands. Munch and Fin met up with him soon after that. They hadn't been able to find Thatcher either and they were all exhausted. But when the other two detectives learned that Elliot couldn't find Olivia, they turned their attentions instantly to finding her.

"We started chasing the guy," Elliot explained, pointing out the way he had gone "She said she was going to cut around and head him off." He pointed in the direction that Olivia had gone. The three men spread out in that direction, flashlights carefully combing the ground.

Elliot ran a hand over his face as the memories of earlier that night came back. Why didn't he kiss her back? Why didn't he chase after her sooner? If anything happened to her he would never forgive himself. He could still see the way her shoulders were shaking when he found her on his stoop. Why did she say it was a mistake? He should have kissed her back. Why was he such an idiot?

Suddenly he stumbled over something. His flashlight flew out of his hand and landed on the ground. He was reaching for it when he caught sight of the patch of wall that it was illuminating. He picked the light up and ran the beam over the spot again. His heart began to beat faster "Guys," he called, barely able to find his voice "I've got blood."

**A/N: Yeah, I know it's a shorter chapter. Please don't kill me for my evilness (which apparently is a real word LOL). I promise it will all work out in the end. This is all just part of Elliot's punishment.**


	4. Chapter 4: Pain

**Cheating**

**Chapter 4: Pain**

Thatcher parked the truck and got out. He went to the back and opened the doors, reaching in and pulling Olivia out by her shoulders. He took out his knife and cut her free. He gave her a shove "Walk," he commanded.

Olivia stood where she was, staring at Thatcher with contempt. She glanced around at the secluded area that he had brought her to. Tall trees loomed ominously out of the darkness. She looked at Thatcher; all he had was the knife. While it was true that she was still very weak from the earlier beating, she still had some fight left in her. She kicked him in the stomach and started to run.

Thatcher stumbled backwards but, refusing to let a woman get the better of him, he launched himself forward, tackling Olivia to the ground. He lay on top of her, smiling as she squirmed in an effort to get away. He rolled her onto her back. Keeping the blade of the knife at her throat with one hand, he struck blow after blow to her face and chest with his other fist "How do you like that?" he asked.

"Get off of me," Olivia half screamed, rolling to one side in an effort to shield herself from Thatcher's blows.

Thatcher hauled her to her feet and, first grabbing the two by four and a small duffle bag from the back of the truck, dragged her into the woods "Are you afraid of me now?" he asked her with the hint of a smile in his tone.

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"When we finally tracked down the owner of the facility," Munch began to explain "He told us that his truck had been stolen."

Elliot was slumped over his desk, listening to Munch and Fin report to Cragen on what they had found. He himself had just come from the lab, where it had been confirmed that fingerprints at the scene belonged to Michael Thatcher. It had been three hours since Olivia had disappeared and she could be anywhere by now.

Thatcher had left his victims, at least the ones they knew about, badly beaten but still alive. Those attacks however hadn't involved him taking the victim more than a few feet down a dark alley. And none of his victims had ever pissed him off by emasculating him the way Olivia had in the interrogation room. God only knew what Thatcher was going to do to her.

"State police are on the look out for the truck," Fin told the captain.

Elliot stood up; he couldn't take this anymore. He turned to leave the squad room. He had no idea where to look but he knew he just couldn't sit around on his ass while Olivia was out there with a psycho like Thatcher.

"Elliot," Cragen laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder. Cragen knew how close the two detectives were. Hell, he could see something between them that he wasn't sure that they were even aware of yet. "We'll find her," he said firmly in an effort to reassure Elliot.

"I know," Elliot said in a quiet voice "I just… I can't stay around here and do nothing." He turned to Cragen "I shouldn't have let her out of my sight. After what happened in the interrogation room I should have known that he would go after her."

"You can't beat yourself up over this," Cragen told him "She was doing her job, you both were. You didn't know that the guy you were chasing wasn't Thatcher. You had no reason to believe that this would happen."

Elliot shook his head. He had been distracted ever since the interrogation with Royce. There had been so many things on his mind. He hadn't even been thinking that Thatcher would go after Olivia. He shouldn't have let her go off to try and cut the suspect off at the other end of the alley. He turned away and stormed out of the interrogation room.

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Thatcher stopped walking and shoved Olivia into a tree. She fell but stood up quickly but before she could try to run again, he grabbed her by her throat "On your knees," he ordered.

She stayed where she was, her knees locked, unflinching "Go to hell," she growled.

Thatcher took the two by four and struck her across the back of her legs with it, hard, hard enough that she crumbled instantly. When she was on her knees in front of him, he smiled "That's a good girl." He bent down and gave her one good push so that she was lying on her back "Now let's have some fun," he smirked as he climbed on top of her.

"Get off of me!" Olivia screamed as she tried to fight him off when he reached for the button of her jeans.

He slapped her and dug the blade of his knife into her shoulder. He heard her gasp and she stopped fighting, lying completely still. He grinned, she wasn't ready to admit it but she was afraid of him. He finished pulling her pants down to her ankles and unzipped his fly. He was going to enjoy this.

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Olivia sat, leaning against the tree that Thatcher had tied her to as tears streamed down her face. She looked down at her lap, grateful that he had dressed her when he was finished. The cut in her shoulder still oozed blood from time to time and she was sure that the bruising on her face was visible by now. Thatcher had left her alone, saying nothing. Olivia wondered if he had left her there to die.

The forest was growing lighter as the rays of early morning sun filtered through the branches of the trees above her. It would have been beautiful if her situation wasn't so desperate.

She was afraid. She didn't want to die tethered to a tree in the middle of nowhere but if Thatcher was planning to come back, she would rather be dead.

Her thoughts drifted to Elliot and how she would probably never see him again. It sucked that the last thing he would remember about her was that awkward kiss. She had been wanting to kiss him for so long it seemed. When she finally had acted on her desires, he had just sat there. She had been so stupid. She closed her eyes and pictured his face. God, she loved him.

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Michael Thatcher pulled over at a convenience store. He got out of the truck and went in. He purchased two bags of potato chips and two bottles of water. While he was paying for these items he saw state police pulling into the parking lot. Running was useless. He left his purchases behind and walked out to the police as they were inspecting the truck. He was going to jail, there was no question about that but unless the DA cut him a deal, there was no way that Manhattan SVU would ever be getting their precious little detective back alive.

**A/N: Okay guys, this is my last update for a little bit. I'm going to a graduation party tomorrow and then with my parents to New Hampshire. I hope this tides you over until next week. Please don't be mad at me but Elliot still needs to be punished. I didn't want to be too graphic about some of the things that Thatcher did to Olivia but I think you get the idea. Please review. I love hearing from all of you guys.**


	5. Chapter 5: Upper Hand

**Cheating**

**Chapter 5: Upper Hand**

Elliot was pacing the roof when his cell phone rang. "Stabler," he answered, half heartedly.

"Elliot," it was Cragen "State cops found Thatcher, they're bringing him in now."

"Olivia?" Elliot asked hopefully and in the moments that it took for Cragen to answer his spirits plummeted yet again. She couldn't be dead.

Cragen sighed "No sign of her," he waited for the news to sink in before continuing "Thatcher specifically requested to talk to you," he informed him.

"Okay," Elliot responded.

"He'll have to settle for Munch and Fin," Cragen dropped the bomb.

"What?" Elliot asked, incredulously "Captain, this one's mine."

"Not this one Elliot," Cragen told him firmly "If I let you in there, it's just going to be a repeat of Royce."

_No,_ Elliot thought. When he got the full confession out of Thatcher, he wouldn't even give him warning that he was going to kill him. "Captain," Elliot protested.

"No discussion Elliot," Cragen said sharply "Now get down here so you can observe."

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Michael Thatcher sat with his hands in front of him on the table, no cuffs this time. This time around, he held all the cards and refused to let them go so easily. He looked up when he heard the door of the interrogation room open. Munch and Fin walked in and Thatcher almost shot up out of his seat.

"What the hell is this?" he asked.

"Sit down," Fin said in a low tone as he reached across the table and shoving Thatcher roughly back into his seat.

"I said I would only speak with detective Stabler," Thatcher ground out.

"He's a little busy right now," Munch said as he took a seat across from Thatcher.

"I doubt that," Thatcher almost laughed. He remembered Elliot's protectiveness of his partner the first time they had interrogated him. With her missing, Thatcher was sure that Elliot would be hovering right outside, waiting to find out where she was so he could run to her and play the hero.

"I don't care if you do believe it," Fin also sat down "The state cops said you wanted to confess."

"I wanted to talk," Thatcher corrected "I wanted to give detective Stabler a chance to save his partner's worthless life, or what's left of it."

Munch and Fin both sat back in surprise. They had both just assumed that when Thatcher had been caught that it had been on the way back from dumping Olivia's body. Now both men felt guilty for ever thinking that she wouldn't still be alive.

Both detectives stood and retreated from the interrogation room. They had to confer with Cragen before continuing; the path they were on had just become a hell of a lot more treacherous. One wrong step now and it could cost Olivia her life.

They approached where Elliot, Casey and Cragen stood. All three looked like they could go in there and beat Thatcher until the truth came out, none more so than Elliot.

"She's still alive," he whispered, staring at Thatcher through the glass. He turned to Cragen "I have to be the one in there," he told him "He's not gonna tell anyone else," he was practically begging Cragen to let him do this.

Cragen laid a hand on Elliot's shoulder "Give me your gun," he commanded softly.

"Captain, I'm not gonna shoot him," Elliot said in near shock. _Once I know where Liv is, I'll stangle him._

"Still," Cragen looked at him for a long time.

Eventually, Elliot lifted his gun from his holster and handed it over to his captain. He turned and headed into the interrogation room.

"And Elliot," Cragen's voice stopped him just before he opened the door. Elliot turned slightly and Cragen continued "Don't give me cause to drag you out of there by your ear." Elliot nodded and pushed open the door, heading inside to face Thatcher.

The smug bastard was sitting back in his chair… smiling. Elliot seethed. That fucker had the audacity to smile. Elliot didn't bother taking a seat. He stood on the side of the table opposite from Thatcher, trying to make his posture as intimidating as possible which didn't take much effort.

Thatcher's smile grew wider "Hey," he said in an almost jovial tone "Decided to show up after all. I hope I didn't pull you away from anything too… important," he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Where is she Miky?" Elliot asked angrily.

"It's Michael," Thatcher corrected like he had the first time he had come up against Elliot Stabler in this setting.

Elliot ignored him "Where is she?" he repeated.

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Cragen leaned his forehead against the glass "He's too eager," he murmured, not that any of them wouldn't be eager to find Olivia but Elliot wasn't even making an effort to suppress his true feelings in front of Thatcher.

"We don't know how long she'll last where he left her," Munch reminded him.

"Still," Cragen said, staring through the window at his detective "I wish he could be a little more by the book."

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"This is important to you," Thatcher casually observed.

"You kidnapped my partner," Elliot reminded him "You're damned right it's important."

"Right, right," Thatcher murmured. "She told me it was a bad idea kidnapping a cop," he leaned forward, knowing that he had the upper hand in this conversation "Do you know what I did to her?" he asked, watching Elliot's reaction.

Elliot suddenly couldn't stand and frantically grabbed for a chair so he didn't collapse on the floor. When Elliot was comfortably seated Thatcher continued "I beat her with a piece of wood I found lying in a pile of garbage near where I grabbed her."

Elliot sat, clenching his fists and teeth as he tried to keep himself from lunging across the table at Thatcher. He had to remind himself that he couldn't risk killing this asshole until they knew where Olivia was.

Thatcher leaned forward and grinned "And that's just the beginning."

**A/N: So, on Saturday I was too sick to go to my friend's graduation party and then my parents decided that we probably shouldn't go to New Hampshire. And now that I have gotten over my depression about that, I decided that I would update this story for you guys. I hope you liked it.**


	6. Chapter 6: Searching

Cheating

Chapter 6: Searching

A/N: I found this story buried under my other stuff and I realized that I had been quite evil to you people. I hope this makes all of you feel better. In this story, I must assure you, Kathy will not be pregnant.

"Tell, me, where, she, is," Elliot ground out, trying with all his might not to give Cragen a reason to pull him out. If he screwed up, it wouldn't be just him paying the price.

Thatcher just leaned back and looked at him "What's it worth to you?" he asked smugly.

Elliot just stared at him. _She's worth everything to me,_ he thought but he didn't dare say that out loud. He took a deep breath trying to compose himself "I think it might be worth a lot more to you if we find her alive. Twenty five years in prison for rape verses the death penalty for killing a cop."

Thatcher leaned forward "New York doesn't have the death penalty anymore," he reminded Elliot.

Elliot smiled matching Thatcher's smug tone "I know," he told him "I never said that the state of New York would be the one putting you to death."

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"What the hell is he doing?" Cragen asked angrily. He turned to Munch and Fin. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this but Elliot was putting too much on the line in there "You two-" he was cut off by someone rushing into the room.

"Captain Cragen?" the young woman asked "I don't mean to interrupt you sir but this fax just came in…"

"Thank you," Cragen said to the young woman who disappeared as quickly as she had come. He read the fax quickly and turned back to Munch and Fin, feeling better about his decision now. "Go in there and pull him out, tell him I need to speak with him, now."

The two detectives nodded.

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"You get that DA of yours to cut me a deal and I'll tell you where I left her," Thatcher offered.

"No one's gonna offer a monster like you a deal," Elliot responded coldly, having regained some semblance of composure.

"Well isn't that bad for poor Olivia then," Thatcher smirked.

Elliot was about to jump out of the chair and throttle him when Munch followed by Fin entered the room. "Cap wants to speak with you," Fin said in a low voice.

Elliot stood up and left the room, not looking back as Thatcher called after him "Too bad Elliot, I'm gonna miss your scintillating conversation. If you're ever allowed to come back to play, I'll tell you about how exhilarating it was to be able to reduce her to a begging, huddled shell," Elliot would have turned around at that moment if Cragen hadn't grabbed him roughly and pulled him the rest of the way out of the room.

"Captain I-"

"Save it Elliot," Cragen almost growled shoving the fax into his hands "Why don't you try putting that desperation and energy of yours to good use."

Elliot read the fax "They're forming a search party?" he asked, hope flaring in his chest for the first time in a while.

"Yes," Cragen said simply "Now get your ass up there and help them find her."

Elliot didn't need to be told twice "Thank you," he said quietly before bounding down the hallway and out of the precinct.

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It didn't take Elliot more than an hour to get to the store where Thatcher had been taken into custody. The store was serving as an unofficial base of operations in the search for Olivia Benson.

"Are you Stabler?" the sergeant in charge asked when she spotted him "Your captain said you were coming to help out."

"Yeah," Elliot said "Where do I go?"

The sergeant handed him a map of the surrounding area "We found Thatcher's tire tracks here," she pointed to a red X on the map, deep in the wooded area "We found drag marks and signs of a struggle nearby but the trail goes cold after that," she waved over a young woman in uniform "This is Officer Powell. She knows these woods pretty well and will make sure you don't get lost."

"It's good to meet you Officer Powell," Elliot extended his hand to the young woman.

"Call me Sherry," she smiled as she shook his hand "Don't worry, we're gonna find your partner."

Elliot nodded and followed Sherry to her jeep.

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Olivia had somehow managed to get her bonds loose but once she had accomplished that, she found herself with no energy to do so much as move and she collapsed flat on her face in the dirt, breathing in the smells of the forest and the smell of sex that seemed to remain on the place where she lay. She started to cry and her tears mingled with the dirt.

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"This used to be a safe place," Sherry remarked as they crossed paths with another team "I hope the guy who did this goes away for a long time."

"He tried to cut a deal in exchange for her location," Elliot told her.

Sherry gave a short, humorless laugh "I hope you didn't buy that. These woods are so confusing to outsiders, there's no way he could have given you anymore than what we were able to figure out from the tire tracks."

Suddenly Elliot thought he saw something through the trees. He ran towards it. He saw her lying face down, motionless. His heart ceased beating as his legs carried him closer. Behind him, he could hear Sherry on the radio, relaying the coordinates and requesting a Medevac. But he didn't pay any attention to anything other than the form in front of him.

He reached her and grasped her wrist to feel for a pulse. He was met with a much stronger and more heart wrenching affirmation of life as she yanked her wrist away and whimpered. He had never heard her sound like that before. She sounded so lost, so scared. He placed his hand gently on her shoulder "Liv," he whispered as she let out another small noise so unlike her "Shhhh, honey, it's just me. It's just me."

"El?" was all she could choke out as she tried to roll over.

"Shhh," he whispered again, wrapping his arms around her and guiding her so that she was lying on her side. Her face was caked with dirt, blood and tears. "It's me," he said, gently brushing the hair out of her eyes "You're safe now."

"Th...Thatcher?" she asked weakly as they heard the helicopter descending nearby.

"We got him," Elliot managed a small smile as the dams burst and tears poured down his cheeks "We got him."

As the medics loaded her onto the stretcher it finally occurred to her that she wasn't going to die alone in these woods. Elliot was right there beside her and she didn't want to let another second go by without telling him the thing that had been circling around her head since the moment Thatcher had left her. They were in the copter now and as the paramedics rushed around her, putting the IV in and examining her, she gave his hand a squeeze. She prayed that her voice wouldn't fail her, not now when she needed it to say possibly the most important thing she would ever say to the most important person in her life. She coughed once and his hand was on her cheek instantly.

"Shhhhhhh," he soothed "Take it easy, don't try to speak."

"No," she said with a hint of her old defiance "Please, I have to," she coughed again but got her breath back quicker this time "I have to tell you something."

He leaned in closer and smiled encouragingly at her, the tears still falling from his eyes as his hand stroked her hair "Okay," he said "But you've got to promise me you'll take it easy after that and not try to talk too much."

Olivia nodded, reaching up to grab his hand again. She looked into his eyes and her own filled with tears, tears of relief that she had this chance "I, love, you," she whispered each word as if it were the most precious syllable she would ever speak.

Elliot tears came faster as he buried his face in the pillow beside her head. Why had it taken him so long to realize the truth "I love you too," he whispered back as he held tightly to her, never wanting to let go.


	7. Epilogue: Dream Demon

Cheating

Epilogue: Dream Demon

"Ready to go home?" Elliot asked, walking into Olivia's hospital room.

She looked up and smiled softly "Yeah," she whispered, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and standing up, rather shakily.

Elliot reached out and steadied her "Take it easy," he reminded her.

It had been nearly three months since she'd been found. Casey had done everything possible to put off Thatcher's day in court until Olivia was able to testify. The trial would be the following Monday, which meant that Olivia had the whole weekend to rest at home with Elliot.

She hadn't been able to get much rest in the hospital with nurses poking her with needles every five minutes. She'd never drifted deeper than a light fitful sleep. She was looking forward to curling up in a warm bed with Elliot's warm presence beside her.

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"Are you sure?" Elliot asked, sitting on the edge of Olivia's bed and looking like a frightened animal.

Olivia nodded "Yes," she said "Please just stay with me for a little while?"

Elliot slid beneath the covers, still keeping his distance; he was pleasantly surprised when she snuggled close to him. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered drowsily as she let her eyes drift closed and she fell into the deepest sleep she had had in months.

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Her bare feet pounded the mossy forest floor as she pushed her body to move as fast as it ever had before in her life. Behind her, she could hear the heavy footfalls of her pursuer, his breathing heavy as the distance between them lessened.

She reached down deep inside her for the strength to keep going; she knew what would happen if the man behind her got his hands on her again. It was dark. She tripped, falling face first into the moss and dead leaves that covered the ground. _Get up! Get up!_ She screamed at herself but the second she did, she was grabbed by the man.

"You little bitch," he hissed, spinning her around so that her back collided hard with a tree.

She groaned, trying to crawl away but he forced her down "Get off of me," she tried to scream but her throat was dry and scratchy and it came out more like a gasp than anything else.

He was forcing himself on her, thrusting painfully into her, making her cry with the amount of pain he was inflicting. And he was bending over her, looking into her eyes "You like that don't you," he sneered malevolently.

"Stop," she whimpered, tears sliding down her face.

The man bent lower and she couldn't avoid looking at his face anymore. She stared up in horror at the last person she thought would do this. The sight of Elliot on top of her only reduced her to more of a quivering husk than she already was and she slammed her eyes shut again.

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"Olivia, Olivia, wake up," Elliot begged, sitting upright beside her on the bed as he watched her toss and turn and cry in her sleep.

Olivia's eyes popped open. Her eyes connected with Elliot's for only the briefest of moments and in them, he could see only terror and heartache. She shot from the bed and ran. She made it as far as the living room before, in her crazed state, she tripped on the coffee table and fell to the floor. She scrambled to her hands and knees but she began coughing again. A pair of warm arms encircled her "No," she whispered "Please don't…"

"Shhhhhhh," Elliot soothed, helping her to sit on the couch "You've got to take it easy Liv," he sat down beside her but was shocked when she curled up in the corner of the couch as, keeping as much distance between the two of them as possible.

She stared at him with those same wide, frightened eyes for a few more moments before she began to relax. This man was not the demon of her nightmares who had inexplicably taken his form. She was safe with him. She uncurled her body and sat normally on the couch but still made no effort to move closer to Elliot "Sorry," she said meekly.

"Nightmare?" he asked understandingly.

_Like you can't even imagine,_ she thought but simply said with a shrug of her shoulders "Yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No," she answered in a sharp tone that took Elliot by surprise. Olivia took a deep breath. This was the man she loved, the man who had stayed with her in the hospital, the man who had stroked her hair and held her hand while they did the rape kit. Eight years of learning to trust this one person, of loving him and one bad dream had shaken that trust to its core. It didn't matter how many times she reminded herself it wasn't him.

"You okay?" he asked and she looked into his face, seeing the love, the concern and understanding and she knew that the trust was still there.

"Yeah," she nodded but dropped her gaze from his; she knew what she had to do. This thing was moving too fast. If nothing else, the nightmare was a warning of that. She managed to look up at him again as she spoke next "I think I'd rather spend tonight alone, is that okay?"

Elliot looked at her for a moment before nodding "Sure," he stood up from the couch. He looked down at her "If you need anything…"

"I know," she said softly, rising to her feet, every fiber of her being telling her not to do this, not to push him away.

Elliot turned and walked to the door "Good night Olivia," he said as he opened it and stepped into the hallway "I love you."

Olivia nodded "Good night Elliot," he lingered in the doorway for a moment, expecting more but then turned and closed the door behind him. As Olivia listened to his footsteps retreating down the hall, she added "I love you too."

She turned and headed back into her bedroom and when she finally managed to fall asleep again, Elliot wasn't the face in her nightmares.

THE END

A/N: Don't kill me, please don't kill me. I know it's not the fairytale ending we all wanted but… I have no idea how to defend my actions but at least I finished a story for once.


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